The Donkey's Burden

 

Before Jesus’ birth in human form to Mary, she and He rode on a beast of burden to Bethlehem. That beast, a donkey, did not know where he was going until Jospeh led him there. He did not recognize the heavy prize he carried. The donkey plod under the weight of pregnant Mary going to where Joseph led him. He became one of the first in creation to witness the newborn King.

Skip forward thirty-three years to Jesus’ triumphal entry to Jerusalem. More happens than a donkey found, cloaks laid on the donkey, and cloaks and palm branches laid on the ground. Consider what each of the people in these verses consider and call Jesus. This comprehension will lead to an understanding of Jesus’ authority to cleanse the temple and die for each person.

As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and, at once, you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away” (Matt. 21:1-3, NIV).

Matthew chapter twenty-one tells of Jesus and His disciples going to Jerusalem for the Passover. The disciples had seen Jesus heal people, give sight to the blind, welcome the lowly and poor, and eat with the outcasts. They saw Jesus teaching with power and authority. When Jesus instructed the disciples to fetch a donkey and told them how to respond to inquiries about it, Matthew's readers grasped that the disciples acknowledged Jesus' authority. To the disciples, Jesus was more than just a teacher. He was more than a rabbi. The disciples recognized Jesus for who He is, the sent One from Yahweh, the God who is, was, and always will be. They followed Jesus’ instructions assured of the truth of what Jesus said. Yahweh and Jesus have authority.

This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: “Say to Daughter Zion, ‘See, your King comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey’” (Matthew 21:4-5).

Jesus, to the disciples and other followers, was more than a rabbi. He showed He had authority over life, death, sickness, and health. Jesus spoke truth with power and gave His authority and power to His disciples. In verses four and five, Matthew reminded his readers and hearers of what Zechariah prophesied at God’s command in Zechariah 9:9. He foretold this King. This King of which Zechariah spoke foreshadowed the Messiah. Zechariah prophesied, “Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your King comes to you, righteous and victorious, humble and riding on a donkey.” Matthew agreed with what Zechariah wrote and proclaimed it happened when Jesus entered Jerusalem just days before His betrayal, arrest, and crucifixion. He reiterated what Zechariah said and pointed out Jesus is the King. As one who has authority, Jesus is the King, Matthew declared. He was the one riding on a donkey that day. As the proclaimed King, Matthew attested to and declared Jesus is the sovereign leader in governance, military, and religious life. Jesus is ruler over all life, Matthew made sure the people understood. Jesus is the one who came to fulfill God’s foretold prophecy, of which Zechariah spoke. Matthew declared Jesus the divine King from God. Jesus has all authority, sovereignty, and power. He is more than an earthly king. In exercising His authority, the people had seen, heard, and realized, Jesus is humble, humble enough to fulfill the prophecies foretold by each prophet. He, the one Yahweh promised, will save humanity from sin and death.

Jesus, Matthew wrote, has authority and power, and is sovereign over all that is. Verse nine tells Matthew’s readers more about Jesus. He described non-disciples' reactions to Jesus, revealing their viewpoint of Him.

The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of Him and those that followed shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven” (Matthew 21: 6-9).

Matthew recorded the disciples’ obedience, the donkey owner’s recognition and permission, and a large crowd's acknowledgement in these verses. The disciples and donkey owner recognized Jesus’ authority and honor. The crowd’s reaction to Jesus entering Jerusalem shouted of who Jesus was in their minds. Potentially, this perception took hold in the people’s hearts. The authority the crowd inferred and the words they proclaimed about Jesus as He rode the donkey into Jerusalem declared who they believed and wanted Jesus to be. They called Jesus the Son of David, the One whom the LORD sent.

So far, in Matthew 21, the disciples and the donkey owner affirmed their belief in Jesus’ authority, power, and sovereignty as the King who came to fulfill the prophecies. Now, the regular people, the Jews, exclaimed “Hosanna,” which in Hebrew meant, “Lord save us”. By the New Testament time, hosanna meant to praise and exalt. More interestingly, the crowd referred to Jesus as the Son of David. King David is an ancestor of Jesus, as a son of Mary and Joseph. This exclamation by the crowd meant more than that. A son in Jewish understanding brings with it a covenantal relationship with God. Mary and Joseph’s firstborn son was a fulfillment of God’s prophecy to them and to humanity, as the angel told them. When the crowd declared Jesus as the Son of David, they recognized Him as fulfilling the prophecy. Jesus was the direct blood descendent of their beloved King David, the covenantal son between God and Mary and Joseph, the covenant God had with Israel, and the fulfillment of God’s promises to send a Messiah. Jesus is the physical and spiritual fulfillment of God’s covenant and prophecies. As the Son of David, the people declared Jesus as the Son of God, the prophesied Messiah from God.

When the crowds of people proclaimed, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they exalted and praised Yahweh and the Son, Jesus the Messiah. They exclaimed Lord and King, save us! This equating Jesus as the Son of David and anointed Holy One from God was not an interpretive stretch.

The people continued exalting and proclaiming in verse nine by saying, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.” They recognized Jesus was the blessing from God. He was God embodied. The people exalted and praised God and Jesus, and they exclaimed Jesus came from God. Coming in the name of the Lord meant Jesus came with the reputation, glory, and renown of Yahweh (the LORD) because they recognized God sent Him. Saying Jesus came in the name of Yahweh meant He came with the authority, character, reputation, and identity of God. Jesus came from God and is God; He is the essence of God.

Jesus is Lord, King, and Teacher with authority, power, majesty, renown, and sovereignty. God sent Him to bless and fulfill Yahweh’s covenant with His people, Israel. By people’s trust in what He said and did, Jesus demonstrated He was the Son of David, the King, the Messiah, and the Teacher.

When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?” The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee” (Matthew 21:10-11).

This recognition by the disciples, donkey owner, and the crowds flocking to Jerusalem for the Passover occurred before Jesus arrived in Jerusalem. When Jesus entered the gate of Jerusalem, the people inside the city heard the crowd/s praises. They wondered who or what caused the stir. The Greek word for “stir” speaks of a metaphorical agitation from an earthquake. This stir shook the people inside the gates and made them ask questions and pay attention. When God enters, people and all creation notice. They ask about the ruckus.

When the people in Jerusalem asked who the man was who rode upon a donkey, the crowds replied. Their answer showed some people had become stirred up by God’s presence; but, they may not have understood who Jesus was. The people who replied to the question Matthew recorded in verse ten called Jesus a prophet from Nazareth of Galilee. They were correct, but did not know the whole truth yet. These people would get to watch the unfolding moments and days in Jerusalem. They would watch the working out of God’s salvation plan. The people would hear, then some would believe, that Jesus was more than a prophet. Jesus was the ultimate prophet, the One who heralded—prophesied—His own coming with the consummation of His life-given sacrifice and life-giving resurrection. Until that time, people referred to Him as a prophet without fully grasping His roles as teacher, prophet, Son of David, King, and Lord.

Understanding who Jesus was, is, and will forever be is the doorway to eternal forgiveness and life. Jesus offers forgiveness because He paid the judgment price for sin with His life given as the sacrifice on the cross. With authority, He spoke to heal people. Jesus speaks even now and stirs each person to action, to seek Him or ignore the conviction. He commands with authority, and people go where He told them, or do not. Jesus, incarnate, lived a sinless life to defeat and offer pardon by His death.

Each person can put their trust in Him, thereby conquering sin and receiving Jesus’ cleansing forgiveness or not. The prophesied King, Jesus came from David’s and accomplished more than people anticipated. People can see and choose to trust in Jesus or not. Jesus carried and fulfilled God’s final covenant through His life, death, and resurrection. Some people choose to see, hear, listen, and understand, and others do not.

Many people proclaim with all creation, “Hosanna, save us, Lord! We praise and exalt You.” Yet many people do not. Jesus is one of the three personages that comprise God. The Jews on the road to Jerusalem that day recognized Jesus had God’s character, is, in His essence, God, the final King, the only Lord, eternal Yahweh, and Redeemer. Each person can choose to believe in Him or not. God never forces Himself on people. He calls each one. God stirs their hearts and minds. He puts people around them who believe and proclaim Him, like the disciples, donkey owner, and people in the crowd.

God had a higher purpose for a stubborn animal of burden. Jesus freed it from its tether. He called it to use for His purposes. Jesus had it walk with Him through the cheering and singing. Each of us is like this donkey. We can receive freedom by the Lord’s command. Given for His purposes. Walk in His parade. See Him work. Feel the weight of Him and His sorrows. And then watch as people accept Him. The Lord can grant us freedom, like this donkey, and use us for His purposes. We need only go to Him.

When Jesus slid off the donkey’s back, the donkey’s burden, though heavy for a moment, was no more. Jesus changed the role of the donkey. His burden became easy. The donkey’s divine burden brought joy, peace, hope, salvation, love, and eternal life to people. Jesus removed the burdensome weight and freed the donkey. He released the donkey for a greater purpose. At day’s end, the donkey’s master probably collected him, but the grandeur and excitement of that day may have never left the donkey or its owner. Jesus changed the donkey’s burden into joy. Each person can have their burdens exchanged for joy by receiving the freeing and redeeming mercy and grace God gives to everyone who believes in Jesus as their Savior.

The donkey was just an animal, but each person can be like a donkey, at times. Jesus can free you from the weight of your burden. He wants to do it. Jesus can use you for His higher calling. That does not mean you will not have to labor. Life will not always be easy. You can have joy, peace, and the knowledge that this life on earth is not the only purpose for which we live. We exchange the heavy burdens of the world for God’s. Jesus said in Matthew 11:28-30 that His yoke is easy, and His burden is light. You have an eternity to live with God awaiting you, for which you can look forward. What must you do for Jesus to save you? Paul summarized it in Romans 10:9-10. He wrote,

If you declare with your mouth “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified (made right with God), and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.

This boils down to the ABCs of becoming a Christian:

Admit you are a sinner.

Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior (from your sins and eternal death due to your sins).

Confess with your mouth your sins and your belief in Jesus. Then you will be saved.

Now is your time to allow the stirring in your heart and mind to lead you to Jesus and salvation, or not. You get to decide. You are at a decision point. I pray you follow God’s stirring in your heart and walk in the parade of the saints who preceded you. Join them and proclaim,

Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.

Hosanna in the highest heaven!

Joy despite Trials

 

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, when you encounter trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. (James 1: 2-3)

Consider it absolutely God’s favor and grace given to you, showing that He loves you enough to grow and strengthen you in your faith by allowing trials to come against you. God loves you and wants you to grow to be more like Jesus, who is righteous/pure. So, let God purify you in the fires of trials, like gold is purified through fire.

The growth of your faith from trials will build perseverance. This perseverance is God making you able to endure under challenges He allows in your life. It can be a cheerful endurance because you know God is FOR you. He does not give you more than you can endure, for He is faithful to you. And when you experience trials and temptations, God will show you a way through it so you can patiently bear and endure (1Corinthians 10:13).

You will grow stronger with God. Perseverance is a gift from God because He loves you. So, consider trials as joy because God is with you and is growing you.

You will be victorious with God’s guidance, power, and strength as you confront temptations and evil.

You can persevere with God.

Consider it joy that God loves you and grows you to be like Jesus and to be a victor over evil, temptations, and trials in life.

Consider it Joy that God is FOR you, not against you.

Consider it JOY that you are

Chosen

Saved

Loved

Compassion and Reward

“Be careful not to perform your righteous acts before men to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven…But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” (Matthew 6:1, 3-4)

Be careful not to perform supposed godly acts with manufactured and false compassion so that people will perceive you as righteous. If you act with false godliness, you will have no spiritual reward from your Heavenly Father. Your reward will be people's praise.

What did Jesus mean when He said, “Do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing?” Your left hand, in some Jewish teachings, denotes weaknesses. The right had, in some Jewish teachings, denote strengths. Jesus’ phrase here means do not let your baser intentions and emotions attach themselves to your intention of giving to help someone in need. Instead, let honorable intentions and emotions be your motivator. When honest intentions to motivate people occur, the glory and honor go to God. When baser intentions motivate giving charity, the desire of the person is to take the honor and glory for himself, not God. Do charity secretly, to avoid people putting you on a pedestal and not to become prideful. Instead, give honor to God, who told you to help the person and gave you the means to help him.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus warned against seeking greatness and receiving adoration. People should focus on God. Instead of seeking personal adoration, Jesus taught people to give secretly. Help a person discreetly. The heavenly Father, who sees what someone does in secret, will reward him. God’s rewards are heavenly and eternal.

Jesus taught how to give:

·       In secret, privately

·       With righteous intentions, to help the person and not highlight oneself.

·       Not to grow one’s reputation or receive honor.

Why should you give this way?

·       If you act intending to make yourself known as great, then earthly honor is all you will receive.

·       If you act in compassion, which comes from God and is good, and you shine the resultant thanks towards God, the One who gives all good things, then other people see God more than oneself and God receives the honor.

What will occur if you act godly?

·       God will reward you. Jesus doesn’t say in verses one through four what the reward will be. Verses thirty-three and thirty-four do. People, God’s creation made in His image, who revere and follow Him, can be certain that their good God will provide for their needs. Remember, God is always faithful to His word.

·       The reward for God’s people is His care now and forever. This promise is for everyone who believes in Jesus as their Savior and Lord.

Jesus concludes Matthew 6 with a promise. This promise tells of the reward for those who “do not let their left hand know what their right hand is doing.” He said,

“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things (your needs) will be provided to you. So do not worry about tomorrow” (Matthew 6:33-34a).

Do godly acts of charity to help a person and honor God. God gives you the motivation in your new heart. He gives you the resources to help the person. Understand that God will provide all your needs, so follow as He leads you to love others, just as He loved and loves you.

 

Love Rejoices

 

“Both the Pharisees and the scribes began to grumble, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.””— Luke 15:2

 

In Greek, this “grumbling” in verse two is an onomatopoetic word that sounds like what was happening. The word itself sounds like humming bees or doves just as the crowd of murmuring/grumbling Pharisees sounded as they discussed among themselves Jesus’ actions and words.

 

Jesus actively welcomed and awaited to receive with a warm arms-open welcome any sinner who wanted to go to Him then, just as He does now. He didn’t just wait to talk with sinners who came to Him. Jesus waited to invite them in with Him and to break bread with Him. These sinners became His friends and, He hoped, family by their belief in Him.

 

In the parable of the lost sheep, the lost sheep represented the sinners who chose to enter and eat with Jesus. (Each person has sinned and Jesus desires that all be saved.) The person who thinks he/she is righteous does not avail him/herself of being welcomed by Jesus to break bread with Him. He/she thinks they don’t need Jesus because he/she is already righteous. Jesus will not force Himself on these people, like He didn’t with the Pharisees and religious leaders. Yet, those who choose to be welcomed by Jesus and break bread with Him, by which becoming family, those He will seek like the one sheep who was missing of the 100. This one sheep who was part of Jesus’ flock strayed away from Him like His followers who sin after being saved by Him. These saved souls are precious to Him and He will leave the safe 99 to rescue the one. 

 

Jesus actively welcomes and makes a sinner part of His family—a sheep in His flock. He actively seeks, defends, heals, guides, and restores His sheep—His saved child—back into His flock. Jesus doesn’t force Himself on a sinner, but welcomes. He doesn’t let Satan steal His child away, but cherishes His child so much that He goes after that one to rescue and bring him/her back home to be with Him. 

 

Jesus does one more thing once He rescues His child. When He returns with His sheep, He actively rejoices; He created a time of celebration and invited others to celebrate that His child who had strayed had been found. It was not an unremarkable event, but a well-known and recordable event. 

 

Jesus was elated and desired to celebrate God’s grace—His favor and love—that sought the lost sheep and rescued it. The celebration wasn’t because the sheep had found His way home, but that Jesus rescued, healed, guarded, and carried the sheep back to His flock in His pasture.

 

God celebrates when each person goes to Him believing in Jesus and is saved by Him. He celebrates each time His saved child obeys Him. God celebrates each time a wandering child returns. This celebrating is God’s granting favor—His grace—of love and blessing on His child. Each of these times of celebration points to God, not humanity. They point to His goodness and love. God’s love for a person is cause to celebrate. 

 

Today, is God celebrating what He has done in your life? Have you gone to Jesus’ open arms and been welcomed to break bread with Him as family? Have you heard God’s guiding you to do something and obeyed? Have you wandered away from God and chosen your own path that led you to be separated from Him, and caused you to be lost, afraid, and hurting? 

 

Each of these times, God has shown or wants to bestow His favor—His grace and love—on you. Will you accept and let Him? Will you become part of His celebration today? 

 

It’s never too late to be saved or rescued by God. You are never too far away from God to be unreachable by His love and grace. Will you let Him save and rescue you today? Will you become part of the reason He rejoices today? 

 

(Taken from Luke 15:1-7)

Stagger Them with Your Power

“Don’t kill them, for my people soon forget such lessons; stagger them with your power, and bring them to their knees, O Lord our shield.” (Psalms 59:11 [NLT])

Who is “them” to David? Saul’s men, who he sent to keep an eye on him.

Who is “them” to you? People, difficulties, anticipated trouble, fear?

Do you need to remember God staggers our enemies with His power? He still staggers Satan with His power. Can you hear God saying to Satan, “You think you know Me? You don’t know just how great and powerful I am. You ain’t seen nothin’ yet!”

Are you still in awe of God or have you forgotten the depth of His love for you? Don’t forget about God. Don’t forget His great power that He’ll use for you. God still loves you. He has a plan. If you wonder how God is going to “fix” this problem, hear Him tell Satan, “You ain’t seen nothin’ yet!” That’s our God. 

Whether we remember Him in our daily lives and crises or not, God is still powerful. He is still majestic. God still knows all things and knows what you are facing.

Worship this God, our God, who David praised before He intervened for him. David was saying through his praises, “Saul, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet. My God is almighty!”

What trouble do you need to give to God in praise, knowing God is almighty? He has already taken care of it. There isn’t anything He has not seen. Let God stagger you with His power.

Shepherd of My Heart

 

²Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be, not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve. ⁶Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. ⁷Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:2, 6-7 (NIV)

 As we humble ourselves to do God’s will and serve others because we willingly obey Him, we should do this because we love Him, not because we must. If we have cares and anxieties that burden us and cause us to be distracted in our obedience to Him or cause us to think twice before obeying Him, then we must give those anxieties and cares to Him. God does not ask us to ignore those difficulties, but to willingly obey Him and receive His heart-peace, shalom, knowing He will take care of what causes us anxiety.

God cares for your heart. He cares about what keeps you from willingly saying yes to Him. God cares about your anxieties and fears you continue to bear as you serve Him. When you answer, “Yes” to God, give Him your anxieties with your willing submission of obedience. He will lift you up. Your burdens will be lighter because you gave them to Him. Covenant is two-sided.

¹⁰And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm, and steadfast. ¹¹To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen. 1 Peter 5:10-11 (NIV)

Love Abounding

 

And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight. (Philippians 1:9 [NIV])

            “Love,” some say, “I understand all about it.” Others may disagree and say it confounds them. Love, without understanding its basis, is just another word whose meaning may change with the times. Paul had a particular and perfect standard in mind when he wrote his letter to the church at Philippi.

            The starting conjunction in verse nine requires us to understand what Paul said earlier in the letter. In verse three, he said he thanked God for the Philippian believers and prayed with joy because of their partnership with him in the gospel. Verse six tells us the basis for Paul’s prayer. It says, “Being confident in this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Paul understood God would complete the work He began in them upon Jesus’ return. Because of his close relationship with God, he understood what God begins in a person He completes. God is the basis for love.

            With verse nine, Paul stated what God would perfect and how and why He would complete it. His prayer spoke about the Philippians’ love, knowledge, and depth of insight. Upon looking at these words further, we understand the word “love” comes from the Greek word agape. Agape is love defined by God because it comes from God. Agape love is part of God’s character. Nothing changes it. God’s love is pure, true (Psalm 86:15), faithful (Psalm 107:8-9), and unending (1 Chronicles 16:34) like Himself. John stated in 1 John 4:8, “God is love.” Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 the love of God is patient, kind, not envious, not boastful, not proud, not rude, not self-seeking, not easily angered, keeps no record of wrongs, rejoices with truth, protects, trusts, hopes, perseveres, and never fails. When Paul wrote in Philippians 1:9, “This is my prayer; that your love may abound more and more,” he meant may the love of God, that overflows abundantly to you from Him, grow in you and overflow more and more from you. The love of God in a believer occurs because that person prefers to love Him above his or herself. This Christian chooses to love God, which means growing to know Him more by listening to Him, studying His word, praying to Him, and obeying Him. Paul prayed the Philippian believers preferred to love God more than any other earthly thing, including themselves, their families, their aspirations, and their stuff. This love, Paul prayed for them, would abound. It would exceed and overflow in abundance from God’s overflowing love.

            This love would abound more and more because of their knowledge and depth of insight. The knowledge Paul wrote about is what they would gain firsthand from a relationship with God because of their preferred love for Him. Paul said this knowledge would come from walking daily in close communion with God. It comes from a growing experiential knowledge about God and from God. God’s love would abound from each believer because of His love for them and his or her love for God. God is the source of agape love and the giver and growth of it. The growth of agape love would cause a growth of knowledge about God, divine knowledge. This knowledge includes who God is, was, and always will be, what He has done, and the relationship each person can have with Him through Jesus. The depth of knowledge Paul wrote about was divine knowledge about God.

            The depth of insight about which Paul wrote is God’s ethical laws. Knowing God’s ethical laws and obeying them is a growth process that leads to purity and blamelessness, sanctification. When a person’s love grows for God and other people, sanctification of the person (growth as a Christian) occurs. Sanctification is the growth of holiness. Holiness comes from righteousness as given by God upon a person’s profession of faith, upon forgiveness each day as a person repents and confesses his or her sins to Him, and as that person strives to live by His ethical laws. God gives the ethical laws and the power to live by them, like He gives His love. God can give ethical laws because He absolutely is righteous and holy. Morality emanates from Him. God enables each believer to love Him more and more and to live with a growing depth of insight into His moral laws. The Christian must seek Him and ask for His strength to stand strong in his or her faith. This standing firm for God grows and shows the person’s love for God and other people. It refines the character of the believer. God gives insight from His moral laws to Christians about what is best. In that action, He refines the person by removing the dross of secularity from him or her. This discerning and purifying is sanctification growth. This process continues until the day of Christ’s return to earth to claim His followers.

            Paul wrote to the Philippian Christians and prayed their love would abound more and more from the source of love, God, and overflow abundantly from them to God and others because of their growing relationship with Him and their understanding of His moral laws. God gives the love that grows and the knowledge of Him and His ethical laws. He enables Christians to have His love and to live morally. God gives the power to live as His child in a sinful world. He is the source for love and morality. Paul wrote a Christian’s abounding love, knowledge of Him, and depth of insight bring glory to and praise of God.

            How far have you walked on the road with Jesus in your discipleship? Did you trust in Jesus and confess your sins, but not return to Him? Did you believe and confess, then get trapped trying to get the best things the world offers? Did you profess faith in Jesus and follow Him with the rest of your life? A Christian’s journey is a marathon. Your commitment to God is forever. Have you been faithful to Him? God’s love is always faithful, true, pure, and righteous. He asks you to keep walking with Him day by day and year by year. Stand firm. Run resolute. Let your love abound more and more in the knowledge of and depth of insight in God. 

Therefore, my brothers and sisters, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, dear friends! (Philippians 4:1 [NIV])

Certain in Uncertainties

Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared, but we know that when He appears, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him as He is. (1 John 3:2 [ESV])

I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. (John 17:13 [NIV])

We face an unparalleled time in which 99% of the world's population never have encountered anything like the COVID-19 virus. We fear getting the virus and dying. We fear for our family members' lives. We fear our world will never be like it was before COVID. We fear this time will never end.

Our fears are not new to God. He has seen everything that has befallen humankind. God is unchanged by this virus or any that ever came before it. He is still faithful, still gracious, still merciful, and still all-mighty. All the attributes God had from before time began still are part of who He is. We can be certain about God even in uncertain times.

For those who are God's children by the salvation Jesus provides to make every believer righteous, they can be certain they will be in heaven with Him even though they do not know now what that will look like.

Besides this, believers in Jesus can have joy in uncertain times. How is that? God is the source of joy. His children, through Jesus, are filled with the Holy Spirit. Jesus said in John 17:13 that He gave His followers His joy.

So, Christians can have joy in uncertain times, and they can be certain of God in uncertain times because He never changes; He is always faithful.

What fears are you facing today? Cast them away and live in the joy Jesus gives by His Spirit living in you. What uncertainties make you cower? Give them to God and He will help you bear your yoke while giving you His joy. God said He would never leave or forsake His children in Deuteronomy 31:6. Whatever Satan throws at you or tries sneakily to plant into your mind, cast it away from you knowing you can be certain in God in times of uncertainty and you can have joy during hard times because the Holy Spirit lives in you.

Lord, it is scary living in this world today. I have heard people say, “This is not my world anymore.” I have never lived through anything like this before. Each day I wake, I am afraid. Forgive me for allowing my fears to take prominence in my mind. Help me be strong because of You, Lord, for You are almighty and Your love endures forever. God help me remember Your Spirit lives in me and I have all Your joy within me. Help me live with the joy You give and with trust in You that nothing can affect me without You going through it with me. Oh, Lord, I am amazed and thankful as I recall Your love and faithfulness, Your grace and mercy, and Your might and power. You are amazing, and I am so small. Thank you for Your joy and faithfulness. Amen.

Craving You

There's a craving in my soul,

A cry comes out from me

To meet You in this day

To connect deep to deep.

This yearning deep within

Assuaged it cannot be

By trifling songs and mere deeds,

By thoughts without You I see.

This desire within my soul

Bubbles, gushes uncontained

As praise and worship I sing

For only You worship should aim.

This overflowing fountain,

This ecstasy within me

Draws me ever closer

To the Savior of whom I sing.

No force can pull me away 

From God's love that draws me in.

No sin can separate me

From His presence in which I live.

Though death, pain, persecution

Try to draw me away from Him,

God's strong arms, Jesus' love, 

No, nothing, can take me from Him.

Neither height nor width nor breadth 

Can keep me away from God;

Neither demons, powers, no, nothing

Will quench my love, nothing at all.

This craving for His presence

To meet Him face to face

Ends not with Sunday service,

But continues day to day.

A keenly desired communion,

A humbling within my soul

To come before gracious God

The true lover of my soul.

No act or words can express

The depth of love o'erwhelming me.

No thoughts or exclamations

Make my love of Him plainly seen.

This life God has given me

Is all I can give to Him;

To Him I offer all I am 

For it's what means most to me.

This craving deep in my soul

To be with You each new day

Calls within as deep to deep

Beckoning me to stay.

Worshiping, praising, communing

As offering up to You,

Closer to You my heart yearns 

The utmost, I give my whole self, too.

Fin'ly the craving to draw near,

It's impulse to closer be,

Is fulfilled with greatest gift

My self to You - Deep to Deep.

I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of His resurrection and the participation in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death. (Philippians 3:10 [NIV]) 

’Let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know Me, that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness, justice, and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,’ declares the LORD. (Jeremiah 9:24 [NIV])

 ‘I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plants to give you a hope and future. Then you will call on Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,’ declares the LORD, ‘and will bring you back from captivity.’” (Jeremiah 29:11-14 [NIV])

THE PAIN!

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the anxious longing of creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. And not only this but also, we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope, for who hopes for what he already sees? But, if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it. In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness, for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words, and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. (Romans 8:18-27 [NASB])

Those things that cause us pain now, pain in our hearts, minds, and/or bodies, are only a small blip in time. Yes, they hurt like nobody’s business, but when we get the mind of Christ, then we get His perspective. This present pain is for a little while, and so we understand we can have hope; we do have hope. Our hope rests in Jesus Christ as our resurrected Savior who gives us eternal life. We recall this hope as His Spirit lives in us and reminds us this present time is just a small dust-mote-size of time in the expanse of time and eternity. Not only does the Spirit remind us and so encourages us, He also prays for us when we are so tired, so sick, so bereft, so despairing that we do not know how to pray anymore. The Spirit prays exactly what needs to be prayed because He prays the heart of God for our lives. God has our best interests in His heart and so the Spirit prays for the best thing for us. What does that mean? The Spirit prays we grow closer to the Lord and bring God glory. When was the last time you were sick, and you prayed, “Not my will, God, but Yours be done even if that means I will not get well as soon as I would like”?

That is a very hard prayer to pray for a human. For that reason Jesus gave each of His believers, every Christian, His Spirit. There are things that are too hard for our mortal, earth-bound minds to pray. Paul said this when he said, “For creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God.” At the moment of salvation, when we confess Jesus as our Lord, we are set free from the power of sin and death. Yet, we are continually being sanctified, made holy as Christ is holy. Jesus set us free from sin and death, but still we must grow to be more like Christ and less like our old selves. This is how we have the glory of the children of God; we begin being more changed and having more and more the mind of Christ as Paul said in Philippians 2. Our hope is to become closer to God in heart, mind, and spirit so that nothing can cause us to do anything except praise God and bring Him glory. Being in God’s presence is our hope now while we live on in our mortal bodies and our hope for the future when God resurrects us to new life with Him.

These are our greatest hopes. Yes, we hope to be well. We hope to obtain a job and be able to buy food for our families. We hope to get into college so we can have a good life as an adult. We hope so many things, but most of them are just for this earthly plain. Yet, if we hope for what we do not see, God and eternity with Him, then we persevere and wait eagerly. Hope creates perseverance in us. This perseverance makes us stronger. These things now that afflict us, we remember with hope and eager expectation, are just small road-bumps in our earthly lives. Since God knows how many hairs are on our head at any point in our lives, He knows and cares about every speed-bump we hit. Since God loved us enough to send Jesus to die for us on the cross, He loves us enough to be with us, give us hope, and send His Spirit to live in us to pray in the exact way that most helps us. When we don’t know how to pray, the Spirit prays for us. He prays according to the will of God, the One who loves us more than we can ever think or imagine, the One who knows best what needs to be done in that moment of our life, in every moment of our life.

Those things that cause us pain now “are not worthy to be compared to the glory that is to be revealed to us.” Think upon the glory of God, the glory that reminds us of His intense love for us. Then remember God sent His Spirit to pray for us because we don’t know exactly how to pray. We are so overwhelmed with our pain and problem, that the exactness of how to pray eludes us. We can rest assured the best prayers to God are being made for us by the Spirit and we can trust, because of God’s great love for us, that those requests the Spirit makes for us, are the best prayer requests for us. We have hope and can hold on to hope with perseverance and eagerness because God knows, God hears, and God loves you. God is greater than your pain. Rest in His hands. Seek His heart. Hold on to hope in Him because He is mighty and will walk with you through your pain. God has the best plan for this time in your life; trust Him. Grow more Christlike and enjoy the freedom of the glory as the child of God.

When we acknowledge God has a perfect plan for meeting our needs and when we rely on Him with perseverance, eagerness, and hope, we can say what Paul said in Romans 8:28-30.

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these who He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified. [NASB]

When we persevere, rely on, and hold on to our hope in God, then we will be like Christ, who was glorified. This honor can only be given by God and He gives it to those who believe in Jesus Christ. Glorification is connected to the justification each believer receives from Jesus. Keep loving God. Keep answering His call for His purpose. Keep hoping knowing that God will not disappoint you because you are loved and justified. And you will be glorified in the last days.

You will have pain, but you have

the hope of glory to which to look forward.

Lord, I think I know what I need now, and I am praying it, but that situation does not seem to be getting better. I’m at the end of my rope. Today, I read Your word in Romans 8 and realize I’ve been demanding what I think I need and not letting Your Spirit intercede for me. I’ve seen my situation and have lost perspective of You. I have allowed my troubles to consume me and decrease my perspective that You are almighty and all-knowing. Nothing that affects me can lessen Your power or escape Your knowledge. Lord, please hear me; listen to the words I can’t seem to find that expresses my despair and anguish in my situation. Lord, hear the prayers of Your Spirit and intervene in my life and situation where You know is best. I’ve given up and realize You alone know the best way to remedy this. You, Lord, are worthy to be praised now because I realize You have the answer for me now; that gives me hope. You have given me hope for my eternal future. By You, I exist. Through Your Son, I am saved and have eternal life. Thank you for reminding me of the hope You’ve given me. Help me to persevere and grow stronger and more like You. Thank you for what You’ve done, what You are doing, and what You will do. May Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Amen.

The DEFINER

“My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” Matthew 27:46 [NASB]

This cry by Jesus on the cross moments before He died is a cry many people express when they face very difficult times. We’ve each known, heard about, or experienced these hard times. Times when an infant dies. Times when a car crashes leaving the people inside paralyzed or in a coma for life.  Times when a medical test comes back positive for cancer or some feared disease. Times when an employer closes the business and you and your family are left without an income. Times when you lose your home and don’t know where you will live or sleep. Times when you have failed all your tests and cannot get into university and do not know what you will do with your life. Times when you realize you have arrived at the end of your rope and just can’t hold on any longer. These times are times you might have cried out, “My God, why have You forsaken me?!”

Now remember the times after those very hard and heartbreaking periods in your life. Remember your relief when the tests said you didn’t have cancer, your loved one in a coma awakened, when you found employment, when your school grades came back higher than you expected so you could go to university, times when a new home was provided. In each of these times, you really cannot say you caused them to turn around. God is the One who was faithful to you and provided what you needed at the right moment. He is the One who loved you throughout the ordeal. God saw you at your need and that need included growth in your faith.

Understand this, trials of faith that arise as trials in your life are there to grow you. It’s not that God ever leaves you. Rather, those times grow you to realize the situation does not contradict who God is. Circumstances do not define God. God defines circumstances; He limits them and provides a way for you to get through them with Him and grow because of them. Just as God’s love and power were not restricted and defined by Jesus’ crucifixion, as was seen by Jesus’ resurrection from the death to life, we can know our trials do not define or restrict God’s power and love in our lives. Trials of life are trials of faith. 

Did God cause you to go through that trial? It is possible. What is more important is not how and who started the difficult period of time, but by Whom and how you got through it. Did you hold on to God for strength as you walked through the trial with Him? If you did, your faith relied upon God and grew because of that difficulty. Would we rather have not gone through the trial? You bet! But, if we never go through trials, we don’t grow as Christians. Our faith in God does not grow and we remain little children forever, rather than true disciples who are in the image of Christ.

Here’s the point: Let trials grow you so you recognize they don’t contradict God and redefine who He is in your mind. Instead, look to God and let Him remind you of His might, love, and mercy, and let Him define the situation for you.

GOD defines the situation. The situation never defines who God is.

Lord, it is so easy to get caught up in our day-to-day lives and forget to meet with you in prayer and study of Your Word. When we do this, we lose sight of Who You really are. We allow our circumstances to define You in our minds. Doing this caused us to forget the magnitude of Who You really are. You are the one God, God almighty, ever-present, all-knowing, Savior, Creator, Redeemer, Provider, Protector, Guide, and Friend. Lord, You love me more than I love myself and always have my best interests at heart. Help me to trust fully in and lean on You for each of my days and all that I experience. Help me look to and for You and to join You in what You are doing. Thank you for being my Savior. I trust solely in You. Amen.